The St. Paul Saints hit four home runs and got solid pitching to beat the Toledo Mud Hens 6-1 on Saturday at Fifth Third Field in Toledo.
Chris Williams, Tony Wolters, Ryan LaMarre and Matt Wallner homered for the Saints (1-1), who dropped their Triple-A season opener Friday against the Mud Hens.
Four St. Paul pitchers — starter Aaron Sanchez and relievers Dereck Rodriguez, Trevor Megill and Brock Stewart — combined on a three-hitter. They also combined for 15 strikeouts, third most in franchise history.
Williams, who hit 28 home runs last season between Double-A Wichita and St, Paul, started the Saints’ fireworks with a solo home run in the second inning in his first at-bat of the season. Wolters added a two-run homer in the same inning, his first home run since the 2021 season.
LaMarre added a solo shot in the fourth, and Wallner finished things off with a solo shot in the fifth.
Toledo scored its only run on a Tyler Nevin home run in the second off Sanchez.
A Saints road victory over the Mud Hens is a big deal. St. Paul entered Saturday’s game with a 6-18 overall record in Toledo.
The two teams finish their season-opening three-game series with Game 3 at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. St. Paul plays its home opener next Tuesday, hosting the Iowa Cubs all week at CHS Field in a six-game series.
